Munich, Germany (November 14th-17th)

This trip was a little different from the others but just as fun. Jake also joined me and my friends from SLU on this trip which was a lot of fun too. We flew in on Friday morning, leaving our homes around 6 in the morning which wasn't fun at all. So by the time we arrived in Germany we were starving but we immediately ran into a little store with 1 euro pretzels with butter...it was perfect. Friday we did a little exploring without any plan in particular. We did get a nice lunch though. For some reason I always end up with the least appealing meal. This time it was meatloaf, that tasted like a hot dog, but had some good potato salad.

Here are some of the exploring pictures...

We found a market that was open everyday except Sundays. Who knew thats where Santa hangs out...
The next day, we went to the concentration camp Dachau which was constructed in 1933, liberated in 1945 by the U.S. Armed forces and Re-created in 1965 as a Memorial Site. Our tour guide was different and was very dedicated to telling the story. The important part was that Dachau was made a memorial by the inmates who did not want pity, but wanted people to see and learn from what they had experienced. Unfortunately I did not get any pictures from the camp. But my friends have plenty.

Later that night we visited the famous Hofbrauhaus. All of my friends ordered beers, but I was in the mood for ice cream, so thats what I got.
That pretzel was the softest most delicious pretzel I have ever tasted.

The next day we headed out early on a tour of all of Munich. We saw the Glockenspiel go off at noon and learned that it was no automatically operated so it never goes off on time. But it was fun watching the figures dance, and a little creepy at the same time. The music was like a music box that you wind up, it almost seemed like something was going to blow up in the end, but nothing did.

I don't exactly remember what this creature was called or his purpose but it is definitely ugly.

The next morning was an early flight home to Madrid and then straight to class from the airport. The weather in Germany was cold but I did learn a lot.

Switzerland (November 7-9)

Switzerland first of all, is beautiful, it almost felt like going back in time. However, it is incredibly expensive. The Swiss Frank is the currency they use and is worth less than the dollar and euro alike, but they make up for that (and by they, I mean everyone)

So we flew into Geneva on Friday evening and took a train to the hostel. By accident, we decided not to get off at our stop. So my friend Cole leans back and asks if anyone in the train spoke English, and once one women answered he asked if we were headed in the right direction. She told us, but her face was priceless. When we told her where we were going she raised her eyebrows and said "But we're not going to Geneva!" So of course Cole's face was a look of "uh oh" and he asked her where we were headed and our group heard "Leon" and we literally thought we were on our way to France for the 3 euros we spent. But in reality we were headed to a different town and once the train stopped she got off and showed us how to get back...it was a close call, but turned out ok. Once we got off the train at the right stop, we found the hostel fairly easily, dropped off our stuff and then went to look around. Geneva was pretty dead for a Friday night so there wasnt much to do or see. Here is a picture from Old Town Geneva. I thought it looked like there were napkins dropped everywhere but they were just lights with messages on top.It looks like napkins...a little?

The next morning we took a visit to the United Nations and then to the real "Lake Geneva" and then hopped on an incredibly expensive train to Interlacken...now I am able to tell you though...it was worth every penny.

The United Nations


Lake Geneva


...And the train ride...


I wanted to ride that train forever. Once we arrived in Interlacken we checked into our hostel and did a little bit of exploring and site seeing just to find out if there was anything we could do before Saturday was over.


Nothing much was open so we had some dinner and prepared for tomorrow. The guys all decided to go skydiving over the Alps, some of the girls chose to jump off a canyon, me...of course, settled on a little hike.

...except it wasn't little at all. The hike through the Alps was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Sarah Bess and I started on a marked train, but the phrase "Let's just see what's around the bend" kept coming up and soon enough we were blazing our own trail.

Half way through we decided to stop and eat the small lunch we brought of bread, ham, and dried fruit. It was delicious as simple as it sounds. The part that was so perfect was as soon as I mentioned lunch, we found a small little bench to sit on...coincidence?

A Spanish Halloween! (October 30-November 2)

This past weekend I made it back to Salamanca and it was a beautiful trip. Everyone in the residencia was much friendlier and on Friday they had their own little Halloween party. Jake and I dressed up as Smurfs. He painted his entire body blue, his hands to his ears. Then painted on a white beard and claimed to be Papa Smurf (Papa Petufa in Spanish). I just wore a white t-shirt and simple skirt with blue leggings underneath, then painted my arms and face blue. The paint was a mess, I should have figured (it was the only thing Jake could find). I think it was oil based because it came off on the walls and other people and everything we touched, but not in the shower...perfect. When we went out of the residencia to the Plaza Mayor, we saw all the spanish costumes and they were good. There was not as much variety and cleverness as I usually see in the States, but there were lots of the scary costumes, even on the girls! It was a legit Halloween. All the Spaniards loved Jake's costume and he was stopping left and right to get his picture taken with strangers, I just stood on the side and let him do his thing. The next day, we were both a light shade of green.


On a different note...my senora picked up a new phone today and while Ashley and I were eating dinner, she sat down at her house phone, called her cell phone and had us listen to her new ring tone. Her phone does go off pretty often when she is around and it was so funny to hear that her new ring tone...is a roaster crow. She said that when she was out today and her phone went off, she acted like it was not hers. Its going to be muy divertido (very fun) to hear that go off randomly during the day.

Tough Times

I just wanted to ask everyone who reads my blog to pray for my senora.

She has had a rough time since Ashley and I arrived in Spain and throughout it all she continues to take care of us and make us dinner every night.

This morning her father died, and although she had been expecting it to happen soon, it did not make things easier...

When Ashley first arrived, she tried to explain to us that her brother had died a few days before, and although she is a very happy person, she is sad at this time.

A week ago, she mentioned that her daughter was getting tested for breast cancer, and we are not sure of the results, but we do not think it is good.

This Thursday, my senora's phone died. We ran to the store to get it fixed but they did not provide much help. It wasn't until the store was closing that they decided to give her a new phone until they fixed the old one. She told us that she was concerned because her father was sick and she needed her phone in case they called.

On Saturday, recently, her planner was stolen with phone number and addresses and other important information.

Then today her father died. So I am asking everyone to keep her in your prayers while her and her family go through this difficult time.

El Escorial (October 17)

We decided last minute to hop on a bus Friday morning to El Escorial for 6.60 euros. It was a short trip and we caught the bus just in time. I slept a little on the way there, and also learned that in Spain it is impolite to sleep on the bus the way I am used to on the way to track meets back home. The ride was about an hour long and a little shaky but we made it ok. It didn't take us a long time to figure out that El Escorial is not too big. We started at the monastery which was pretty interesting. From the beginning we saw a tapestry of the masterpiece painting at the Prado in Madrid called, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" However, inside the museum we could not take any pictures...and their were security guards everywhere...


I was not exactly sure what was being said but I think there was an event in the Basilica so we could not go inside. The weather was beautiful and outside the monastery there were kids from a grade school I am guessing playing for recess.These are the streets of El Escorial...in the autumn...
After the monastery, we ate a SMALL lunch and waited around for the bus to the "Valley of the Fallen" It is about 20 minutes outside of El Escorial. Here is the view from the bus.
When we arrived there we went into the Basilica to look around. It was getting cloudy outside and inside was very dim. It made it difficult to read and see what was inside.

After looking inside, we still had some time before the bus went back to El Escorial so we decided we would try and walk to the top , where the cross is...this is as far as we got...This is the other side of the cross from where I am standing in the picture before. We were following a path but it didn't get us very close. We didn't want to miss the bus back to El Escorial so we started the trek back. By this time there were a few drops hitting my glasses and making the walk a little less enjoyable. Overall it was a nice little day trip...with lots of tombs, by the way.

Jake visiting Madrid (October 10-12)

Since Jake and I were both in town this weekend, he decided to come to Madrid, a little more pricey since he could not eat with my host family or stay there much less, but I realized quickly that he knew his way around Madrid better than I did. The hostel was in Sol and he reminded me that when he first flew into Spain he had to stay in Madrid, and was there for 5 days! So he knew all the best places to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He even knew how to get around down there, while I needed a map. So he pretty much was the one showing me around Madrid this weekend. We went to the Prado, and had dinner at a Japanese sushi place, he took me to the Plaza Mayor, but I was the one who took him shopping (I guess clothes are cheaper in Madrid than in Salamanca).

I dont have many pictures but here are a fewThis was taken in the Prado Museum next to the elevators, that little sculpture in the back is the proof, since we cannot take pictures of the art. The museum was gigantic, it would take 6 or 7 trips to be able to appreciate every piece of art inside. Jake and I did look at all the masterpieces.

Here we are in the Plaza Mayor with the center statue in the background, its a little too dark to see but we tried.

These were the turtles in the lobby of the hostel. They were fighting and it was the funniest thing we had ever seen...you might have needed to be there...

This is in the park near my house where I do a lot of my training. We were walking up a fairly large hill and we needed to stop and take break (see Jake's face). After Jake was kicked out of the hostel at noon we didn't have anywhere to go but the park. It was a beautiful day though.

When I asked him what time his train was leaving he told me 11:30. So at 9:00 that night I said we should probably get something to eat and then head to the station. So he decides to check his ticket and he says "21:30" I stare at him because that means 9:30! So we rush to find a cab that can take to the train station, we find one (however, it was scariest cab ride of my life) and jump out of the cab and run through the station. Here's a picture for you, Jake is running to his platform and I am chasing after him yelling "Don't leave without saying bye to me!" If you're wondering, he made it, and I got a quick kiss on the check before the train rolled away...wasn't exactly the ending I was expecting, but I knew he would be back.

Dublin, Ireland (October 3-October5)

Friday morning Ashley, Pat, and I took our first plane flight out of Madrid to Dublin. I was so scared we were going to miss our flight but we made it there in plenty of time. The Madrid airport was a little more relaxed then the airports at home. I realized when I was at my terminal that I had a swiss army knife left in my bag that they didnt take from me. My friend who left the

day before was able to take all her hair sprays and shampoos on the plane with her carry-on. But anyways, our plane was pretty packed and I was stuck in a middle seat, but I just put my head down on the tray in front of me and fell asleep. Once we made it to Dublin we had to find our friends that had flown in the night before.



Thanks to Pat that was no problem and the first place we headed when we met up was the Guinness factory. I am not a big fan of Guinness so the museam was not as exciting for me as it was for others but we did get a pint at the top.

After the museam we walked to the bus station to go to Galway, that is where my friend Roxanne is studying for the semester. The bus ride was about 4 hours long and I again just went to sleep. It reminded me of being on the bus for track meets and made me miss the team back home a little. Once in Galway the bus driver was so nice that he dropped us right off at the dorm where Roxanne lives, apparently it was his birthday that day we found out. We said good bye and walked to Roxanne´s place. She has a nice little setup with a kitchen area that her and a few other girls share, she has one roommate who was so nice and it was her birthday too! We found out quickly that the weather in Ireland is nothing like the weather in Madrid. It was very cold and rainy.

The next morning Roxanne and her roommates made a huge breakest for her roommate´s birthday which consisted of pancakes and crepes. It was exactly what I was looking for. Saturday was pretty rainy and it took a lot of mental strength to get out of bed and go outside, but we did. Roxanne walked us along the path that she runs on and showed up the beautiful track that she gets to run on...and it was beautiful.



We also saw the ruins of a castle. But we don´t exactly know what castle it is. Later we went into Galway and ate some fish and chips (delicious) and checked out the shopping.
I cannot afford Ireland...way too expensive. That night we ended up in a bar with an Irish band! The music was great, but I had no idea how to dance so we sat and watched.

The next day we took a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher. They were absolutely gorgeous however I don't think these pictures do them justice. It was scary being up so high because there was one point where people were supposed to stop but they went out on the edge past the sign! This was where I realized for the second time in Europe that I am scared of heights.
The Ireland countryside...breathtaking...and windy...Again...it was a very windy day...


Do you see all those people past that point! Apparently there have been deaths because of this!
Me and the cows...much nicer than the cows in Spain...



Things we wanted to see in Ireland: Sheep and Green...check!

Ireland was so beautiful and all the people there were incredibly nice and welcoming. It was a little pricey like I said before but completely worth it!